experimental
SCOTT WALKER
One of the most enigmatic figures in rock history, Scott Walker was known as Scotty Engel when he cut obscure flop records in the late '50s and early '60s in the teen idol vein. He then hooked up with John Maus and Gary Leeds to form the Walker Brothers. They weren't named Walker, they weren't brothers, and they weren't English, but they nevertheless became a part of the British Invasion after moving to the U.K. in 1965. They enjoyed a couple of years of massive success there (and a couple of hits in the U.S.) in a Righteous Brothers vein. As their full-throated lead singer and principal songwriter, Walker was the dominant artistic force in the group, who split in 1967.
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Source: Richie Unterberger
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TOM WAITS
In the 1970s, Tom Waits combined a lyrical focus on desperate, lowlife characters with a persona that seemed to embody the same lifestyle, which he sang about in a raspy, gravelly voice. From the '80s on, his work became increasingly theatrical as he moved into acting and composing.
Growing up in southern California, Waits attracted the attention of manager Herb Cohen, who also handled Frank Zappa, and was signed by him at the beginning of the 1970s, resulting in the material later released as The Early Years and The Early Years Vol. 2. His formal recording debut came with Closing Time (1973) on Asylum Records, an album that contained "Ol' 55," which was covered by label mates the Eagles for their On the Border album.
Waits attracted critical acclaim and a cult audience for his subsequent albums, The Heart of Saturday Night (1974), the two-LP live set Nighthawks at the Diner (1975), Small Change (1976), Foreign Affairs (1977), Blue Valentine (1978), and Heart Attack and Vine (1980).
His music and persona proved highly cinematic, and, starting in 1978, he launched parallel careers as an actor and as a composer of movie music. He wrote songs for and appeared in Paradise Alley (1978), wrote the title song for On the Nickel (1980), and was hired by director Francis Coppola to write the music for One from the Heart (1982), which earned him an Academy Award nomination. While working on that project, Waits met and married playwright Kathleen Brennan, with whom he later collaborated.
Moving to Island Records, Waits made Swordfishtrombones (1983), which found him experimenting with horns and percussion and using unusual recording techniques. The same year, he appeared in Coppola's Rumble Fish and The Outsiders, and, in 1984, he appeared in the director's The Cotton Club.
In 1985, he released Rain Dogs. In 1986, he appeared in Down By Law and made his theatrical debut with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in Frank's Wild Years, a musical play he had written with Brennan. An album based on the play was released in 1987, the same year Waits appeared in the films Candy Mountain and Ironweed.
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In 1988, he released a film and soundtrack album depicting one of his concerts, Big Time. In 1989, he appeared in the films Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale, Cold Feet, and Wait Until Spring. His work for the theater continued in 1990 when Waits partnered with opera director Robert Wilson and beat novelist William Burroughs and staged The Black Rider in Hamburg, Germany.
In 1991, he appeared in the films Queens' Logic, The Fisher King, and At Play in the Fields of the Lord. In 1992, he scored the film Night on Earth; released the album Bone Machine, which won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album; appeared in the film Bram Stoker's Dracula; and returned to Hamburg for the staging of his second collaboration with Robert Wilson, Alice.
The The Black Rider was documented on CD in 1993, the same year Waits appeared in the film Short Cuts. A long absence from recording resulted in the 1998 release of Beautiful Maladies, a retrospective of his work for Island. In 1999, Waits finally returned with a new album, Mule Variations. The record was a critical success, winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk album, and was also his first for the independent Epitaph Records' Anti subsidiary.
A small tour followed, but Waits jumped right back into the studio and began working on not one but two new albums. By the time he emerged in the spring of 2002, both Alice and Blood Money were released on Anti Records. Blood Money consisted of the songs from the third Wilson/Waits collaboration that was staged in Denmark in 2000 and won Best Drama of the year.
After limited touring in support of these two endeavours, Waits returned to the recording studio and issued Real Gone in 2004. The album marked a large departure for him, in that it contained no keyboards at all, focusing only on rhythm-stringed instruments. ~ All Music Guide
Albums:
Source: www.artistdirect.com; William Ruhlmann
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BJORK
Bjork Gudmundsdottir, known more simply as Bjork, is one of the wildest and most experimental female artists to date. When she was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, it was known to no-one that she would become the world’s most famous Icelandic musician (or that she would make front page news for smacking a reporter!). As a child, Bjork became extremely musically talented, studying classical flute, piano and vocals at the age of 5.
Since leaving band The Sugarcubes in the 90s, she crossed over from absurd arty-rock to having great commercial success, moving to London and sinking herself into the experimental dance and techno culture. Bjork’s 1993 album Debut, culminated in Top 40 UK hits, and awards for Best International Newcomer and Best International Artist at the 1994 Brits. She’s quite famous for her appearances at award ceremonies, once turning up dressed as a swan to the Oscars, nice!
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Bjork’s next solo album, Post, yielded her most famous track ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’, and featured tracks co-written and produced by hip-hop legend Tricky, with whom the wacky singer had a bizarre affair. She later got engaged to drum-and-bass star Goldie. Bjork became somewhat quiet after the release of her second album, after a crazed-fan tried to send the singer a letter bomb, along with a videotape of his own suicide. However, she came back in style with two new releases, including her third solo album Homogenic, which is arguably some of Bjorks most experimental work. She later moved on to appear in musicals and movies, although this brief affair didn’t last long, releasing another chart-topping album, Vespertine, in 2001.
Her most recent alum, Volta, was released in 2007, and she plans to record her next within the next three years. Here’s hoping, Bjork!
For The Record:
Born Björk Gundmundsdottir, November 21, 1965, in Reykjavik, Iceland; daughter of Gudmundur (electricians' union chief) and Hikáur (homeopathic doctor and martial arts teacher); married Thor Eldon, 1986; divorced, 1988; children: (son) Sindri.
Released first solo album at age 11; performed with several bands during teenage years; (with others) formed theatrical/rock ensemble KUKL, mid-1980s; formed The Sugarcubes, summer, 1986; signed with Elektra Records, 1986; released three albums, 1986-92; released first international solo LP, Debut, on Elektra, 1993.
Addresses: Record company—Elektra Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019.
Discography:
With The Sugarcubes, on Elektra
Life's Too Good (includes "Birthday"), 1986.
Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, 1989.
Stick Around for Joy, 1992.
It's-lt (dance remixes), 1992.
Solo, on Elektra
Debut (includes "Human Behavior," "Venus As A Boy," "Big Time Sensuality," and "Violently Happy"), 1993.
Post (includes "Army of Me"), 1995.
Sources: Carly Page, eNotes.
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
